Rich, yet simple: a refreshingly minimalist home

This modern family home is filled with sense of energy and connection, provided by many features that serve to link rooms, direct movement, and establish a dialogue between distinct spaces and levels within the home. Architects from Washington D.C. based architect firm KUBE seek to emphasize the essential components of architecture in this design, drawing attention to light, colour, texture, and materiality. A modernist approach in the creation of this residence dictates the economical use of materials (many of them sustainable), as well as the home’s focus on functional design. You’ll also find that many of the spaces bend toward a minimalist aesthetic, reducing the amount of clutter and decor in order to amaze with nothing but the beautifully bare essentials. The architects describe their motivation to achieve both richness and simplicity, and in this design, they have surely achieved what they’ve set out to do.

​Traditional facade

The architects maintain a traditional facade similar to what you might imagine in a classic Hamptons style home. The interior is friendly, but remains modest in the amount that it reveals to passersby.

​Back

From this view, you can easily discover that the back of the home is significantly more open than the front. You also may have observed that the home has two chimneys, leading from two beautiful fireplaces! Large windows let in the forested backyard views, with a stone patio tucked away in the shelter created by the L-shape where two masses intersect.

​Minimalist kitchen

This streamlined kitchen takes on a simple three-toned colour scheme with grey floors, a wall of tan wooden cabinets, and a solid black ceiling. Storage plays a major role in this distraction-free space, with an enormous panel of closet-sized cabinets providing plenty of space to keep kitchen equipment organized and out of sight.

​Living room

With minimal furniture weighing down the floor in this spacious living room, the vertical characteristics of this room are emphasized. A wide mantle extends upwards from the fireplace to touch the high ceiling, while nearby a brown stripe appears to flow from top to bottom, molding itself to the contours of the glass balcony. These strong vertical features bring a structured, anchored, and powerful feeling to this lofty living space.

​Cut-away upper floor

True to modernist design, this interior layout is economical in its use of materials, with much of the upper floor “cut away” to expose a walkway connecting the rooms of the upper floor. This design not only places importance on open communication and transparency, but it also creates an area of rich visual interest, filled with intersecting shapes that provide an unexpected amount of depth as you gaze upwards into the layers of the home.

For more eye-grabbing ceiling designs, see this ideabook:10 stunning false ceiling designs

​Upstairs hallway

An elevated walkway with glass railings turns a walk through the upstairs hallway into an adventure rich in new perspectives. This interior clearly does not rely upon vases, sculptures, pillows, and throws to compose a visually enriching scene, as the lines, shapes, and surfaces of the home have themselves become the decor!

​Bathroom

A simple white bathroom gleams in bright white brilliance, a glass partition allowing light to pass over the window-side bathtub. The presence of a mirrored door serves to further reflect light, creating an ultra-clean atmosphere.

​Bedroom

The sheer size of this master bedroom is further pronounced by the absence of floor coverings, creating a blissfully smooth surface for the five simple pieces of furniture that live in this room. The “bare essentials” mindset is maintained with regards to windows as well, as all of the windows in the room are furnishing-free. A mindful, minimalist space, this bedroom offers a conducive atmosphere for reflective thought, a peaceful conversation, and a quiet rest.